Someone Is Reading This Book

Deborah Dowson is a children’s librarian who has recently relocated to
North Wales, Pennsylvania.

The narrator of this book attempts to tell a lighthearted tale of a
simple-minded prince whose only desire is to fly. After several
disappointments, his wish is granted and he lives happily ever after.
The story appears in its entirety at both the front and back pages of
the book. In the main text, however, the narrator is prevented from
telling the complete story because she keeps being interrupted by
characters who are not cooperating. The distressed narrator realizes
that there is a reader at this moment reading the book and that she
needs to complete the story. With the help of the reader and a giant who
arrives on the scene, the story is saved and the prince lives happily
ever after.

The concept of this book is very clever, but the execution doesn’t
quite work. If the story is read first, the urgency of the narrator’s
distress is undermined because the reader already knows the outcome of
the story. On the other hand, if the story is not read until the end, it
is difficult to follow the narration. The visual impact of the book is
limited as well. The illustrations, rendered in colored pencil, are
largely depictions of the narrator. The book is embellished with cutouts
that are awkward to

manipulate; in a circulating collection, the extra paper flaps would not
last long. Not a first-choice purchase.